Capitalism at the Crossroads: The Unlimited Business Opportunities in Solving the World’s Most Difficult Problems

Capitalism at the Crossroads is a generally well-written and well-argued collection of ideas developed over several decades of research on the promise of what Professor Hart calls the sustainable global enterprise – “a new private sector-based approach to development that creates profitable businesses that simultaneously raise the quality of life for the world’s poor, respect cultural diversity, and conserve the ecological integrity of the planet for future generations.”

The book provides many valuable examples of the experiments, innovations, and market success stories of companies that are building businesses to address the specific needs and desires of people living in the poorest nations. His stories and insights are especially strong when he explains what multinational companies do to become effective in these markets.

Even more valuable to the reader is the void this book fills in leveraging familiar management concepts, frameworks, and language to connect business strategy to sustainability strategies. Professor Hart devotes an entire chapter to the subject, citing Clayton Christensen’s work on disruptive innovation several times, and presenting a useful diagnostic approach for managing today’s businesses and creating tomorrow’s opportunities. One chapter, “The Great Leap Downward,” shows why the poorest nations can be viewed as potentially lucrative markets in which to incubate “clean” technologies. For instance, Professor Hart cites the development of fuel-efficient cars for use in heavily polluted countries such as China and India as a prime opportunity that auto manufacturers have so far missed. – Michael Moynihan

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